This morning, LinkedIn joined 28 other companies in signing the White House Equal Pay Pledge - a visible commitment to do our part to close the national pay gap. Despite decades of research, work and laws to correct the gap in salaries, full-time working women in the United States today earn only 79 percent of men’s wages. We agree that companies need to step forward and play an active role in helping to close that gap. Although these 28+ companies are a start, we won’t be enough.
LinkedIn’s vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce, and we believe that a fundamental piece of this is equal pay for equal work. It starts with each of us. It will take all of us. We believe it is a basic good business practice to ensure this is true within your own organization. This change will benefit the individual who will now be paid fairly for their work, the company that will see improvements in their culture and the world by increasing purchasing power to one of the largest consumers of goods globally. Put simply, a rising tide lifts all boats.
At LinkedIn, we strive to create an environment where all of our employees feel inspired to do their best work, and part of that has involved regularly reviewing and evaluating our own pay practices to ensure our employees are being compensated fairly. The solution to fair pay is rarely a matter of making a simple, one-time tweak to an existing system. Instead, companies and leaders must make a commitment to break this bias wherever we come across it.
We’ve found you need to put practices in place to ensure better outcomes for all individuals while maintaining and in many cases increasing positive outcomes for the company.
Hiring: Studies show that the pay gap often starts with the initial salary negotiation. By implementing changes to help reduce the impact to salary in the negotiation period, you have the opportunity to start employees on a level-playing field.
Promoting: Once employees have a seat at the table, it’s ensuring the loudest voice in the room does not necessarily command the biggest salary or the best opportunities for advancement.
Training: Break the bias at the moment of decision by inserting training on unconscious bias when the hiring, promotion or salary increase decisions are being made.
Overall, we are committed to continuing to create diverse teams, encourage diversity of thought in an inclusive work environment where every person feels they truly belong and are paid fairly. I invite you to join me in this broader conversation today. Share your voice on LinkedIn and be sure to use #WomensEqualityDay.